Kochi : The high court has directed the district collector to file a detailed report on the issues raised by the court-appointed amicus curiae in the waterlogging litigation, highlighting the snail’s pace of efforts to prevent flooding in Kochi city.
The court accordingly sought a comprehensive report from the district collector on the issues raised in the amicus curiae’s report and adjourned the matter to Oct 16. The court also sought details from Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) on the status of work to rejuvenate Edappally Canal, along with its future proposals and requirements. Additionally, the court sought the online appearance of a competent railway official of the rank of divisional manager or above on the next posting date to discuss measures to ensure periodic cleaning of railway culverts within the city. The bench of justice Devan Ramachandran was considering a petition seeking the court’s intervention to mitigate inundation in the city. He also submitted that the construction of two bridges over Thevara-Perandoor (TP) Canal at Kaloor and at the mouth of Edappally Canal had hampered the cleaning of both canals. Edappally Canal had not been cleaned at all while its rejuvenation work undertaken by KMRL has made little progress.
During the hearing on Friday, the amicus curiae pointed out that the lackadaisical attitude of certain stakeholders towards cleaning canals and the drainage system had led to serious problems, despite the court monitoring the work.